Pee-Wee Harris Adrift eBook

It was strange how Keekie Joe, who had disregarded
his poor mother’s wishes on so many occasions,
should present her now to his new friends. He
did not have any of the things which they had, bicycles,
tents, cooking sets, radio sets; but one thing he
had as well as they, a mother. And so he used
her as they used theirs. He played her as his
only card.

“Me mudder sez I dasn’ go swimmin’
widout she leaves me.”

“Good for you, Joe,” said Townsend, “I’ll
see your mother next week and fix it. And you
do just what she told you to do till then.
You’ve got the right idea, Joe.”
And he hit Joe a good rap on the shoulder in his
friendly way . . .

CHAPTER XXXI

A PROMISE

When he had put the racing fans on the Edgemere trolley,
Pee-wee, like Jack ashore, betook himself into Bridgeboro
to have his fling before returning to the ship.
The habit of sailors home from long voyages is well
known, and we need not be surprised to find him bending
his steps toward Bennett’s Fresh Confectionery,
where he climbed onto one of the stools before the
soda fountain.

He had just consumed a raspberry ice cream soda and
was considering the question of whether he should
have another when he noticed somebody which reminded
him of the doom which awaited him on Monday morning.
This was Miss Carlton who taught in the Bridgeboro
Public School. She had just consummated the
purchase of a box of candy and such were the cordial
relations between herself and Pee-wee (out of school)
that she proffered him the box for a choice of its
contents.

“I don’t know whether to take a chocolate
one or a white one,” Pee-wee said.

“Why not take both?” she suggested.

“I guess maybe that would be safest, hey?”
he said.

“And what have you been doing all week?”
Miss Carlton asked.

“I’ve been at sea,” Pee-wee said;
“I’ve been floating around on a desert
island that’s on a scow and this is the first
day I came ashore. I started a new patrol and
Keekie Joe is in it. He’s in your class,
isn’t he?”

“He is—­sometimes,” said Miss
Carlton ruefully.

“He goes on the hook a lot, doesn’t he?”
said Pee-wee.

“Oh, lots and lots,” said Miss Carlton;
dubiously.

“But anyway, don’t you care,” said
Pee-wee, “because now he’s a scout and
he’ll go to school every day, because a scout’s
honor has to be trusted. Do you know what was
in that white one? Kind of lemon like.”

“Won’t you have another?”

“Brown and white are our patrol colors,”
said Pee-wee. “We just started our new
patrol.”

“Take a brown one and a white one,” said
Miss Carlton.

“I bet you don’t know the name of our
new patrol. It’s the Alligators.”

“I think that’s a good name for Joe McKinny,”
said Miss Carlton; “he’s so slow coming
to school.”